Coupling mechanism.



WfD. LEPTWIGH.

GOUPLING MEGHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.11 m09.

Patented Nov. 1e, 1909.

2 SHBHTSSHEBT 1.

W. D. LEPTWICH. ,GGUPLING MEOHANISM.. vinculen r-ILBD un. n, 1909A Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gaged and held by the inner end o of lever WJLLE'AM D. LEFTWCH, F WXLKENSBRG, PENNSYLVANIA.

C'UFLNG MECHNISM.

senese.

peocaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application filed January 11, 1909. Serial No. 471,725.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM l). LEFT- wtcH, a citizen or' the United States, residing at lylilltinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ol Pennsylvania, have invented certain new und useful improvements in Coupling lilechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to theA accompanying drawing.

My invention refers to improvements in couplers and is designed for the purpose Ot providing a car coupler with supplemental coupling mechanism for the hose terminals or the air supply or steam supply ol the brake or heating system of a train, or foranyother desired tluid connections, so constructed as to accomplish automatic coupling and untoupling ot the hose terminals,'si multancousl y with the coupling and nncoupling .ot' the cars.

rl`he present invention relates particularly to the mounting of the coupling terminals,'! the locking mechanism therefor, the means :tor holding the coupler terminal errtended and for providing: flexibility in its support after the main couplers are connected, and other features ot' improvement as shall be more fully hereinafter described.

1n the accompanying drawings illustrating the inif'entionz-Figure 1 is a plan view oit the apparatus showing the coupling jaws and hose terminals connected for operation. Fig. is a similar view showing the parts separated and about to be coupled together one of the coupler heads being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. el. is a. vertical sectional view on the line 1V. 1V. ot Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross .sectional view on the line V. V. of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectiopal view through the spring housing at rigiht angles to F ig. el, showing it secured to the coupling' head.

ln the drawings represent the coupling heads of a standard coupler of the Janney type, of well known construction, provided with pivoted i'aws 3, 3, for automatic interlockino engagement, cach ot said jaws being provided with the inner arm 'ft adapted in the locking position to be en- 6. Said lever extends transversely of each coupling head 2 and is pivotally mounted at 7 having a terminal 8 extending outwardly at one side and adapted to be raised by any suitable connection 9 against the pressure of spring 10. Said spring is inten' posed between the outer end of lever 6 and any suitable supporting abutment, as housing 20, by which arrangement the locking terminal of arm 6 will automatically engage in front ot' the inner end of arm 4 to hold the coupling jaw in locking position after the couplers have been brought together, as will be readily understood.

12, 13, represent the terminal ends of the hose'ot an air brake steam system or any other hose connections which it may be desired to use, a plurality of such hose connections, @our at each side of the coupler head, two above and two below the hose coupling mechanism respectively being shown) and incorporated in connected sets at each side ofthe main couplers. The hose terminals 12 above and below are connected with abutting terminals 14, 14 respectively,

1 the other hose sections 13 being connected withsimilar abutting terminals 15, 15 respectively, mounted on each of the coupling heads in such a position as to be brought into abutting contact when the -coupling heads are together, as shown in Fig. 1. lt will be understood that the terminals 14, 14: and 15 and 15 are hollowl as shown to provide registering continuations with each other and with their respective hose connections. l

vEach coupling head 2 is provided at one side with such a coupling abutment 14, 14', and a coupling abutment 15, 15, at the other side, so arranged that when the car couplers are connected, the fluid coupling abutments will malte Contact at each side as shown in Fics. 1 and 4. For the purpose of insuring tight communicating Contact one or the other ot said abutments, 'as abutment/14, lll', is provided with a packing gasket 16 of rubber or other suitable resilient material whereby a tight `ioint is secured when the abutting faces of the companion abutment of the other coupler is brought into contact. Abutments 14, 14', are preferably rigidly attached to or made integral with the coupling head 2 as shown, and are located above and below an intervening guiding socket 17 hav! ing an inwardly tapered cavity 18 for the purpose of centralizing and guiding. the middle element olgthe companion abutment of the other coupler to position. For such purpose abutments 15,15', are likewise above and below a middle intervening head 19 having a. forwardly projecting tapering horn 19 arranged to enter the cavity 18 in the operation of coupling and to guide the abutments into suitable contacting position, abutinents 15, 15, and head 19 aud its horn 19being prefera ly in one piece. For the purpose of supporting said'eleinent and connecting abutments, I

mounted on the side of the coupling as in Fig. 6 or integral with the coupling head 2, in which housing is mounted a stem 21 and an interposed spring 22 surrounding a reduced extension 23 ot said stem and adapted to project it outwardly in advance of the housing and to hold it into abutting Contact with the companion pipe-coupling abutment, when in contact. Stein 21 is preferably square in cross section or of an' other suitable forni and is provided at its forward end with a ball hearing terminal 211 mounted in a socket formed between a rear extension ot' head 19 and a surrounding securing bearing portion 25 screwed upon said rear extension as shown. ing portion with a flaring socket 2G preferably square in provide a ,housing 2Ov Said secur` is provided at its rear end l l l i cross section adapted to receive a sliding,

lock 2T mounted on stem 21. Said lock is normally pressed@forwardly into registering position in socket 2G by spring 28 mounted on stem 21 adapted to press the lock into engagement with socket 26, whereby, when head 1f) is not coupled with abut ments 14, 14e', it willbe held outwardly from housing 20 in rigid horizontal position and ready to enter b f its horn 19 the socket 18 of the other coupler head.

For the purpose oli' releasingr lock 27 from socket 26 so as to permit the head 19 to become flexible by its ball mounting 134, I provide the jaws 3 of each coupler with a supplemental arm 29 adapted to swing outwardly upon the coupler heads being brought and to enl gage a l ug 30 ot lock 27, whereby said lock together in the act of coupling, is caused to slide baclcwardly against spring 28, withdrawing it from engagement with socket 2U and permitting the head 19 to move .relatively due to the ball bearing to accomn'iodate itself tovariations sition oit the different parts, in service.

By this construction I provide an integral flexible joint so that either lateral or vertical dctlections of the abutnients with relation to their carrying parts are provided, thereby overcoming and compensating for variations in the car or other variations diie to movement of travel. Each abutment 15,

ble of an independent longitudinal move nient with relation to its supporting coupling hcad 2, due to spring 22, and for the purpose of locking said abutments 15, 15', against the relatively immovable coupling abutments 141-, 1st, provide wedges 31, 31, forming clean-:nts of a sliding bolt 3Q mountin the po- I l r l l 1 l l i l l l l l i l l I i' gether of ing wedge extending ed for lateral vadjustment transversely across the middle interior portion of each coupling head 2, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Each ot' said bolts 32 is mounted transversely of the coupler heads in suitable bearing cavities therein, and is normally held acl: by a spring 33 iii a withdrawn position. Wedge terminals 31 are designed to enter and operate upon `inclined faces at the sides of corresponding receiving sockets 34 of head 19, and the locking operation is designed to be automatically performed to tightly force the head and abiitinents 15, l5, into contacting position with companion abutments 1li, 141/, upon the coupling to the main coupling heads. For such purpose bolt is provided with shoulders 35, 36, at each side of a. socket, against which shoulders the edge of the inner arm 4 of the coupling jaw bears. As it swings around-into the locking position shown in Fig. 5, the wedges 31 operate to accomplish these results, while opening of the coupler withdraws the bolt.

`he operation of vthe invention will be readily understood 'from the foregoing description. As the coupling heads brought together the hose connecting abutments are likewise centralized with relation to each other by the -horn and socket elements, the coupling jaws accomplishing by Atheir parts the backward separation ot' lock 27 and the` insertion of the locking wedges so that the'parts will be maintained in operative position until the main couplers are separated,l l

rlhe invention may be variously changed or niodilied in construction, design or other etails, but all such changes are-to be considered as within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:`

1. In a car coupler, the combination with the main coupler head" provided with a swinging jaw anda terminal element at one side having a plurality of hose connections adapted to receive and malte connection with a eo-acting element of another similar coupler, of a transversely arranged sliding lock# through each coupler head adapted to tighten said elements together, said locking wedge having shoulders arranged to be. engaged by the terminal of the inner arm of the coupling jaw,'substan tially as set -forth.

In a car coupler, the combination with the main coupler head `provided with a swinging jaw and a terminal element atone sideA having a plurality of hoseconnections adapted to receive and malte connection with a co-acting element ot' another similar coupler, ot' a transversely arranged sliding locking wedge. extending through each coupler head adapted to tighten said elements together, said locking wedge having shoulders eeloae te arranged to be engaged by the terminal of the inner arm of the coupling jaw, and a retracting spring arranged to Withdraw the locking Wedge from engagement, substantially as set t'orth.

3. In a car coupler, the combination ot a main coupler head provided with aswinging aw, a hose coupling terminal element at one side thereof provided With a plurality of hose. connections adapted to make connection with a co-acting terminal of another similar coupler and having a tapered guiding socket, a huid-conducting terminal element at the other side of the coupler head provided with a tapered guiding projection and a guide stem loosely coupled therewith, n plurality of hose connections for said terminal clement, a guiding housi'n mounted on the coupler head engaging sai stem and provided with a cushioning spring, a transversely arranged sliding locking Wedge adapted to engage and couple together one of said conducting terminal elements with the terminal element of a co-acting coupler head, said locking Wedge heing mounted transversely in. the interior of the main coupling head and having shoulders adapted to be engaged by the tail of the coupling jaw, and a spring for normally holding the locking wedge in retracted position, substan tially as set forth.

4. ln a car coupler, the combination with the main coupler head provided with a guide stem housing, of a terminal connecting eler ment having a plurality of hose connections, a hall-and-socltet joint therefor, a carrying rod mounted in the housing and provided with a sliding lock adapted to interengage with a portion of the hallandsocket joint mechanism to hold the terminal element rigidly thereon, and adapted to be retracted from engagement therewith to provide for iexibility of the'ball-and-soclret joint, substantially` as set forth. i

'5, ln a car coupler, the combination with the main coupler head provided With a guide stem housing, of a terminal connectingr element having a plurality of hose connections, a ball-and-Socket jointv therefor, a carrying rod mounted in the housing and provided with a sliding lock adapted to interengage With a portion of the hellend-socket joint mechanism to hold the terminal element rigidly thereon, and adapted to be retracted from engagement therewith to provide for fiexibility of the ballandsocket joint, said sliding lock having shouldered portions adapted to be engaged by the -inner terminal of the coupler jaw for actuating it, substantially as set forth'.

6. In a car coupler, the combination With the main coupler head provided with a guide stem housing, of a terminal connecting elementhaving a plurality of hose connections, a hall-andsocket joint therefor, a carrying rod mounted in the housing and provided with a sliding lock adapted to interengage with a portion of the ball-an'd-socket joint mechanism to hold the terminal element rigidly thereon, and adapted to be retracted from engagement therewith to provide for flexibility of the ball-and-socket joint, said sliding lock having a portion adaptedto be engaged by an element of the coupler jaw for actuating it, and a compression spring adapted to impart movement to said lock to engage with the ball-and-socket supportingF mechanism, substantially as set forth.

ln testimony whereof l atlix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WLLAM D. 'LEFTWICl-l. Witnesses: l

C. M. CLARKE, CHAs. S. LEPLEY. 

